A veterinary clinic sends much of what a human clinic does: blood tubes, urine and tissue samples, slides, swabs, medications and instruments. What changes is the vocabulary. The paperwork talks about animals, and the Transportation of Dangerous Goods rules have their own wording for them. This guide shows where Transport Canada's guidance meets a clinic's day, what to settle before the courier arrives, and how to put the regular runs on a schedule. It is general information, not legal or veterinary advice: the clinic classifies and packs, and the receiving laboratory sets its own requirements.
Quick answer
- UN2900 is Transport Canada's number for an infectious substance affecting animals only, so animal-only Category A work has its own entry. Category B (UN3373) covers substances below that threshold.
- A routine specimen can ship as an "Exempt Animal Specimen" under section 1.42 when there is no reason to believe it contains an infectious substance. Transport Canada calls this a professional judgment.
- Formalin and dry ice stay regulated even beside an exempt specimen, so name them at booking.
- The clinic classifies and packs, the courier carries, and the laboratory sets timing, temperature and forms.
- A fixed daily run ahead of the laboratory's cut-off beats a string of urgent calls.
What a Clinic Typically Ships
| Item | Typical handling | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Blood and serum tubes | Often cooled, with a collection-to-lab window set by the laboratory | Time and temperature. Packaging that stops tubes from breaking or leaking |
| Urine and faecal samples | Leakproof containers, absorbent material and an outer pack | Leaks. Absorbent sized for the full contents |
| Tissue biopsies in formalin | Fixed tissue in a leakproof container, sent to a pathology laboratory | Formalin is named by Transport Canada as a dangerous good that stays regulated. Tell the courier |
| Cytology slides and swabs | Protected slide mailers and swab containers | Glass breakage. Heat and cold |
| Cultures and suspected infectious samples | May need Category B (UN3373) packaging, or Category A if the case calls for it | The classification belongs to the clinic. See shipping lab specimens |
| Medications and vaccines | Delivered from a pharmacy or distributor to the clinic, often with temperature requirements | Follow the manufacturer's storage instructions. See cold chain logistics |
| Instruments and equipment | To and from sharpening, repair or calibration | Packaging, tracking and sign-off at both ends |
| Imaging on discs or drives | To a referral specialist or an owner | Personal information. See shipping data devices securely |
Where Animal Specimens Sit in the Rules
Transport Canada's guidance on infectious substances covers animal specimens alongside human ones, so a clinic's sample falls into one of three groups: Category A, Category B or exempt. This guide does not repeat the full classification and marking rules; they are set out in our guide to shipping lab specimens. What matters here is how the animal-specific parts fit a clinic's work.
- There is a Category A number for animals alone. UN2900 is the entry for an infectious substance affecting animals only. A sample from a suspected high-consequence animal disease is a different kind of shipment from a routine blood tube.
- Most day-to-day clinic work is not Category A. Whether a routine sample is Category B or exempt is a call the clinic makes. Transport Canada leaves it to professional judgment rather than a checklist.
- An exempt sample carries its own wording. Where the exemption applies, the package is marked "Exempt Animal Specimen".
- Anything added to the sample keeps its own rules. Formalin and dry ice are the two examples Transport Canada gives of goods that stay regulated even when the specimen itself is exempt.
Some animal diseases are also governed by reporting or movement rules that sit outside the TDG Regulations. If a case raises that kind of concern, call the receiving laboratory before you book anything.
How Clinic Samples Usually Go Wrong
These are patterns worth designing out of the routine. They are general guidance, not the findings of a study.
- The Friday-afternoon sample. A sample collected late on a Friday may reach a laboratory that does not receive on the weekend. Ask the lab about weekend receiving before you collect.
- The owner-supplied sample. A urine or stool sample that arrives in whatever container the owner had is not ready to hand to a courier. Supply clinic containers, and repack before booking.
- The undocumented tube. No case reference on the tube, or the owner's personal details written where anyone can read them. Use the laboratory's requisition and an identifier that means something to the lab.
- The forgotten dangerous good. Formalin jars and dry ice are easy to leave out when the paperwork is filled in from memory.
- The missing receiver. The package reaches reception and nobody is expecting it. Name the person who accepts it.
A Typical Clinic Week
| When | What moves | How a courier fits |
|---|---|---|
| Start of day | Supplies and medication orders arriving | A standing delivery timed before the first appointment |
| Through the day | Samples collected as cases come in | Kept at the temperature the laboratory asks for, labelled and packed ready for pickup |
| Late afternoon | The laboratory's cut-off | A fixed daily pickup timed ahead of it |
| Any time | The urgent sample or an emergency referral | An on-call run through dispatch. See STAT medical delivery and after-hours courier service |
| Weekly | Instruments for sharpening or repair, and referral imaging | A scheduled run with tracking and a signature at both ends |
Pharmacy and supply runs to care settings face the same scheduling questions. See pharmacy courier for long-term care for how those routes are organized.
A Short Booking Script
- Name the sample type, and say whether it has been classified as Category B, exempt or Category A.
- Mention formalin or dry ice, and how much of it there is.
- State the temperature the laboratory asks for.
- Give the laboratory's address, its receiving hours and the name of the person who accepts the package.
- Give a number at the clinic that someone will answer.
- Say whether this is a one-off or the start of a regular run.
Call the Laboratory Before You Book When
- you are not sure whether a sample is Category B or exempt;
- the case may involve a disease that must be reported;
- the sample is unusual in size, kind or condition, such as a whole organ or a sample from a large animal;
- the laboratory has not received this type of sample from your clinic before.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do animal specimens need a shipping document?
It depends on the group. Transport Canada says a shipping document applies to Category A, and does not apply to Category B where the section 1.39 exemption is met. For anything else, ask the laboratory what it wants to travel with the sample.
What does "Exempt Animal Specimen" on a package mean?
It marks a specimen shipped under section 1.42, where nothing, on sufficient information, suggests it contains an infectious substance. Transport Canada frames that as a professional judgment, made by the person responsible for the sample.
Can a courier take biopsies in formalin?
Possibly. Transport Canada names formalin as a dangerous good that stays regulated alongside an exempt specimen, so declare it at booking, with the quantity, and follow the laboratory's packaging instructions.
Who decides how a sample is classified?
The clinic, or whoever is responsible for the sample. A courier carries what has been classified; it does not classify. If in doubt, ask the receiving laboratory first.
Is a regular pickup better than calling each time?
For predictable work, yes. A fixed daily run timed ahead of the laboratory's cut-off is easier to plan around than a series of urgent calls, and it leaves the on-call line free for the sample that cannot wait.
Classify, Pack, Schedule
Veterinary shipping works best as a routine: the clinic classifies and packs, the laboratory sets the window, and the courier arrives at the same time every day. Reserve the urgent call for the sample that really cannot wait.
Rush Expedited Courier runs clinic and laboratory work across Montréal, with dispatch around the clock. Tell us about your clinic's runs in the quote form, and look through our courier services for the other work we do.
Sources and Further Reading
Facts on this page were checked against the sources below on October 28, 2026.